Origins of Exercise

A brief look at the origins of exercise and how it moulded the behaviours we enact today 

Exercise. We have all heard of it, but when and why did people start putting themselves through the effort of exertion for improvements in health?

Through this article I wanted to do a bit of a deep dive into the origins of exercise and see what bizarre and perhaps surprising information I could gather. 

Here I will share a summary of what I found. 

My hope is that through reading this, you will be mildly entertained and walk away with a greater appreciation for the origins and history of exercise.

Definitions

A good place to start when discussing exercise is to differentiate between movement, physical activity, and exercise. 

The Oxford Dictionary definitions of the terms are as follows:

• Movement: the act of moving, a change of place, position, or state.
• Physical activity: any form of body movement that has a significant metabolic demand.
• Exercise: activity requiring physical effort, carried out to sustain or improve health and fitness.

From these definitions, we can see that movement is quite obvious, then once movement is difficult enough to warrant significant metabolic demand (requires more effort) it becomes physical activity. 

When physical activity is completed with the intention of improving health or fitness, it becomes exercise.

When you move your arm to reach for your phone or a pen, it is classified as movement.

If you are at a party and decide to drop to the floor to do the worm surrounded by a circle of your friends and find yourself huffing and puffing after about three seconds (and having dirtied your good white shirt), it is classified as both movement and physical activity. 

If you decide to go for a brisk walk for thirty minutes with the aim of increasing your walking endurance for your upcoming trek of the Kokoda Trail, it is classified as movement, physical activity, and exercise. 

Exercise is goal oriented; it has purpose.

Origins of Exercise – motile by nature

When searching for information on the history of exercise my expectation was to spend a few minutes gathering the key moments in history, type it up and then move on. 

But the more I read, the more interested I became. 

I ended up spending a few hours on the topic and what you see here is a summary of what I believe to be the key points of the history of exercise.

Since long before the evolution into our current state, humankind have been motile (capable of motion). 

In ancient times when humankind was mostly derived of roaming hunter-gatherer civilisations, people had to partake in physical activity in order to survive. 

If you did not move, you would not last long.

If someone from the year 15,000 BCE (before common era) saw you casually jogging (exercising) through the bush and you told her you were training for a fun run, she would be very confused and probably find the concept quite laughable. 

What could be fun about exerting yourself when you did not need to in order to survive?

We cannot know for sure whether people in ancient times completed physical activity for the sake of improving their health, or when they began doing so, but we know they were very physically active. 

Some hunter-gatherer civilisations used to (and still do) participate in a form of hunting called persistence (or endurance) hunting in order to capture food.

concept and design: Fiann Paul, artwork: Fiann Paul & Zilap Estudio, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Persistence hunting involves chasing the desired prey until it is so exhausted that it collapses. 

It occurs in the hottest part of the day and works because humans are able to keep their body temperature at a level low enough to be compatible with life by sweating. 

The prey being hunted is not so lucky, they eventually collapse from heat exhaustion. 

This technique relies on excellent aerobic endurance, heat regulation and animal tracking skills. 

While not exercise, persistence hunting was and remains today a long and strenuous activity that few would partake in for leisure.

Through the agricultural revolution physical activity evolved from that of a hunter-gatherer to that of a farmer. 

They performed repetitive activities as a means of cultivating the land on which they settled.

Reports indicate that the Olympic Games were first held around 800 BCE. 

You have to wonder whether those who participated completed any exercise as physical preparation for the events, as that would give them a tremendous advantage over anyone who completed none.

The first mention of exercise I could find was in 750 BCE (the time of Homer – author of Greek literature, not the donut eating protagonist of The Simpsons) when the practice of “physical culture” (exercise) was considered a national duty for citizens of Greece.

Moreover, during the pinnacle of Sparta’s existence between 800 and 600 BCE at the age of seven, Spartan males were “educated” to become warriors who were physically fit, so their time was spent completing strenuous exercises and competing in combat. 

In contrast, when I was seven years of age, I was likely afraid of the lawn mower. 

Female Spartans were educated to become mothers of warriors, and it is believed that they had to eat a “healthy” diet and participate in regular exercise.

Susruta

See page for author, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Around 600 BCE is the first record we have of ancient physicians prescribing moderate daily exercise to improve health. 

This was the time of Susruta, who was the first physician recorded to prescribe exercise for health benefits. 

He reported that “it should be ‘taken’ every day” but “only to the half extent of his capacity” otherwise “it may prove fatal”. 

He believed that participation in strenuous or heavy exercise would cause multiple diseases and could lead to death.

Susruta believed that exercise was beneficial because it:

• Made the body stout, strong, firm, compact, and light 
• Enhanced the growth of limbs and muscles
• Improved digestion and complexion
• Prevented laziness, and 
• Reduced senility (loss of cognitive function with age) 

He believed that “diseases fly from the presence of a person habituated to regular physical exercise”. 

I am not sure whether he meant this literally, but I have not heard many reports of diseases flying from people.

Pythagoras

Pythagoras (570-490 BCE) was not only an exceptional mathematician and astronomer. 

He was also a former athlete who was the first medical philosopher from ancient Greece to advocate for daily exercise for health. 

He believed that a daily regimen of long walks, running, wrestling, discus throwing, and boxing was required to restore harmony and achieve a healthy state.

Herodicus

A former teacher and influencer of Hippocrates, Herodicus (500 BCE) was a physician who practiced dietetic medicine. 

He was later recognised for his emphasis on the therapeutic benefits of exercise. 

He has been designated as “the father of sports medicine” and it is speculated that he spent a lot of time recommending exercise to aid recovery and rehabilitation from athletic injuries.

Hippocrates

See page for author, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Hippocrates (460-370 BCE) is considered the “father of modern medicine” and was the first physician to prescribe exercise as treatment for disease when he prescribed it for consumption (tuberculosis). 

He reported that “eating alone will not keep a man well, he must also take exercise”. 

He believed that idleness, excessive exercise, and overpowering food consumption could lead to disease. 

He believed that exercise could:

• Reduce excess flesh (I imagine he is referring to body fat)

And increase:

• Stature (height)
• Muscle mass
• Tone
• Endurance
• Digestion
• Temperature regulation, and 
• Tolerance against fatigue

Hua Tuo

In China between 1050 and 256 BCE, the yin-yang doctrine was prevalent, with yin being associated with disease and death, and yang being associated with life and health. 

Between 25 BCE and 250 CE (common era), a Chinese physician and surgeon named Hua Tuo prescribed exercise for his patients because of its yang effect. 

He believed that the body needs exercise as it expels “bad air” from the system, promotes circulation and prevents sickness. 

However, he too believed that one must not exercise excessively.

Galen

Pierre-Roch Vigneron, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

During the time of the Roman empire, Claudius Galenus (Galen) (129-210 CE) emerged as one of the most influential physicians to ever live. 

He taught and practiced “the laws of health”, which were: 

• Breathe fresh air
• Eat proper foods
• Drink the right beverages
• Exercise
• Get adequate sleep
• Have a daily bowel movement, and 
• Control one’s emotions 

A physician to the gladiators of Pergamos, he treated torn tendons ad muscles ripped in combat. 

His influence on the use of exercise for health in Arabic and European countries lasted around 1,400 years, influential indeed.

Galen believed that to be called exercise, movement had to be vigorous and to cause laboured breathing. 

His favourite exercise comprised of games with a small ball. 

He stated that “the form of exercise deserving our attention is therefore that which has the capacity to provide health of the body, harmony of the part, and virtue of the soul, and these things are true of the exercise with the small ball”. 

This “exercise with the small ball” may have influenced the many ball sports that people know and love today. 

He believed that exercise caused “thinning” of the body, hardening and strengthening of the muscles, an increase in flesh (increase in muscle mass), and elevation of blood volume. 

It was during Galen’s era that exercise was prescribed for multiple diseases.

Modern day

Fast forward almost 2,000 years and the amount of scientific literature that has been produced on all things exercise and physical activity is truly profound. 

In 1968, Peter Karpovich wrote “there is growing evidence on the preventive value of exercise, and it is possible that, in the not too distant future, physical education will become a part of medicine”. 

And it appears that this possibility has now come into fruition. 

Exercise is now an accepted form of treatment for many conditions with countless benefits. 

As a result of this, exercise guidelines have been developed to guide people in how much and what type of exercise people should aim to participate in.

Through this information, we can see that many have concluded that exercise is essential for a healthy lifestyle. 

We also see that many early advocates of exercise were wary of excessive exercise. 

In modern times we have a decent understanding of the potential effects of overtraining, so it is important to have a plan and structure to your exercise. 

This is best achieved through the guidance of an exercise professional with the skills suited to your goals and state of health.